Karma
by StarryHeaven
Summary: After three years of waiting, will Luke and Tear ever be reunited again? LukexTear GuyxNatalia
1. Prologue: Selenia Nights

**Selenia Nights**

Three years.

Three years since Emperor Peony declared them heroes.

Three years since Anise became the new fon master, the first ever female fon master in history.

Three years since they overturned the Score.

Three years since they defeated Van.

Three years since he made the promise.

"_Luke, come home! You have to!" _

"_I promise."_

Those images suddenly blurred, mixing with darker images: Luke, sprawled on the ground, blood pooling underneath him in a puddle, green eyes staring lifelessly at the sky, seeing nothing.

"No! Luke! Wake up! Wake up!"

She ran to him, picking his body up, shaking it desperately, as if to shake the life back into him.

"It's no use," an ice cold voice stated flatly. "He's brain dead."

The emotionless voice repeated itself over and over again.

"Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead."

Tear jerked awake, shivering with the horrors of the nightmare. She stared out into the vast pitch black room.

_I have to stop thinking about it! I'm scaring myself to death!_

She shook her head to clear it, and decided that it was no good to worry.

_I think I'll go outside for a while. Maybe the fresh air will clear my head a bit._

Tear swung her legs out of bed and quietly dressed herself in her oracle knight's uniform. She tiptoed out of her room so as not to wake anyone up, taking her boots with her, and silently crept out of her room.

_Where to now? I think I'll go to my favorite place- the selenia garden._

As she entered the garden, she felt a wave of pleasant peacefulness wash over and leave, taking her worries with it.

Tear started to hum the first thing that came to mind- Yulia's grand fonic hymn.

_It's peaceful, for now. Tomorrow, I'll ask grandfather if he needs help with the research; it should take my mind off of things for a while._

**Morning- Sylphday, Ifrit-Decan 39**

"Good morning, grandfather," Tear greeted as an old man walked into the room.

"Good morning, Tear. Where are you off to today? Going to see your friends, perhaps?"

Tear looked down at her plate. "No, grandfather. There's no need to see them, now that the journey's over. I was wondering if you need any help with the research. I could collect some data for you," she offered.

Theodoro chuckled. "Some help would be great. I do need to collect some data. All right, then. Your first mission begins after breakfast."

After breakfast, Tear knocked on the wooden door of her grandfather's study. The door opened and she was admitted inside.

"Grandfather? Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, there is. I need you to go to Grand Chokemah and get the data from a census made a few days ago. That data contains the population count of all the cities in Malkuth at the moment. Could you go get it from Emperor Peony for me?"

"I'm on it, grandfather."

As the ship docked at the port, Tear gazed up at the majestic blue and white buildings, thinking of the last time she had come here.

_Last time I came here, it was with my friends._

**-Flashback-**

"_We're here!"_

"_This is a city?!"_

"_Believe it or not, Grand Chokemah is a city. It is a small portal city used mainly for the docks here. The emperor, my good friend, Peony, lives here."_

"_Wahhhhh! Sooooooooo cool!"_

"_Rappigs?!"_

"_They're so cute…"_

**End Flashback**

_It's just like I remembered it, _Tear thought as she walked down the long blue and white tiled hallway. Soon, she reached the main chambers and was admitted in. Emperor Peony sat on a high back chair at the other end of the room.

"Ah, Locrian Sergeant Tear Grants. It's been a while. What can I do for you?"

"Theodoro sent me from Yulia City to obtain the census for the world from your majesty."

"The census, is it? Yes, I do remember receiving a note from-Theodoro, is it? - I happen to have it here with me at the moment."

Tear waked back down the hallway, holding the manila folder with the data in it.

_It's been so long since I last came here, but everything is still the same._

As she recalled the past, she suddenly collided with another person going the opposite way. She quickly stood up, apologizing to the unlucky person.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you! I should have watched where I was going. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"Never been better. How are you feeling?" a familiar voice responded.

Tear looked up and saw the familiar figure of Guy Cecil, one of her old companions.

"Guy!" Tear exclaimed in shock.

"Hey, what's up?" Guy answered, helping Tear collect the papers that had scattered.

"What are you doing here, in Grand Chokemah?"

"Well, I work here now."

"Work? What sort of work?"

"I walk His Majesty's rappigs."

"That must be fun," Tear responded as they headed down the corridor together.

Guy chuckled. "Fun, if Luke's collar is tangled up with Nephry's collar, and they're dragging you through the streets of Grand Chokemah at a breakneck pace."

Tear looked down. "Luke…"

Guy looked horrified. "Look, I didn't mean to make you upset or anything. It-it just came out the wrong way!"

Tear fixed Guy with a steely glare. "I'm not upset about anything."

He turned to leave, then turned back around again. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to give you this." He handed Tear an envelope. "It's from Natalia. I've gotta go, or His Majesty will be mad at me for being late. See you around." He waved, then jogged off in the opposite direction. Tear opened the envelope and took out a cream colored card with the words "Locrian Sergeant Mystearica Aura Fende Grants" on the front in fancy script. The return address was from "Princess Natalia Luzu Kimlasca- Lanvaldear".

_It's from Natalia. I wonder why she sent me an invitation?_

She opened the card and read the words inside. It said, in equally fancy script,

The royal families of Kimlasca- Lanvaldear and Fabre invite you to the coming of age ceremony of their deceased son, Luke fon Fabre, on Gnomeday, Ifrit-Decan 41. The fon master, Miss Anise Tatlin, will be conducting a remembrance ceremony in the main ballroom. Attendance is required.

_Luke's coming of age ceremony…so it's already been three years. Time flies, and although life must go on, I can't accept the fact that Luke is dead. Nothing will change that fact, just as nothing will change what I said to him on Eldrant. Even so, I can't bring myself to go, not yet._

**Gnomeday, Ifrit-Decan 41**

_The Fabre manor_

"…And so, we honor you, Luke fon Fabre. Your noble sacrifice will be remembered forever. You truly are the light of the sacred flame."

The raven haired girl solemnly finished her speech and walks down the aisle to find her friends.

"How did I do?" Anise asked.

"Very well for the first speech as the fon master," Jade commented.

Natalia looked around, then asked, "Have you seen Guy or Tear? I haven't seen them anywhere all night."

Anise piped up, "I think I know where they are."

_Tataroo Valley_

Tear sat on a big rock in the middle of the selenia field, breathing in the fragrant scent of the selenias. It was calming, and she could finally relax. Just as she had settled on the rock, a voice behind her said,

"So you are here."

Tear turned around to see Guy standing just behind her, to her left.

"Why aren't you at the ceremony?" she questioned.

"There's no point," Guy stated flatly. "If he's gone, he's gone."

"But," he continued, "It looks like we're the only ones who still believe he's alive."

They both looked out at the vast field, remembering, and Tear began to sing. As the melody of Yulia's hymn floated out, the selenias bloomed, thriving on the melody. Three more figures appeared. They stood silently behind the hymnist.

_Tue rei zei croa nue tue zei_

_Croa tue zei tue ryo rei nue ryo zei_

_Va rei zei tue neu tue ryo tue croa_

_Ryo rei croa ryo zei rei va zei rei_

_Va neu va rei va neu va zei rei_

_Croa ryo croa neu tue rei croa ryo zue rei va _

_Rei va neu croa tue rei rei_

_Please, Luke… come home…_

As the song ended, the last note lingered in the valley and faded away. Silence, except for the sound of five people breathing and the roaring of the waterfalls in the background. Finally, Natalia broke the silence.

"You didn't come. I believe your presence was requested at Luke's coming of age ceremony at the duke's manor."

Tear turned her head to the side and away from the others so that no one could see the grief etched on her face.

"I'm not interested in some ceremony… in front of Luke's grave."

"That's why… the both of you came here, isn't it?" Anise piped up.

"He said he'd be back, so let the others sit around and tell stories at his grave. But I won't be joining them," Guy declared.

More silence, this time broken by Jade.

"We should be going now. The valley is dangerous at night."

_The valley is dangerous at night…_

She had said those words, so many years ago, when she and Luke had gotten transported to this very valley.

Slowly, she reluctantly turned to leave, letting herself slide off the rock. As she turned to go, she looked one last time at the remains of Eldrant. She spotted a figure coming closer and closer, nearing the top of the hill.

_A figure with flaming red hair and a black cloak._

_A figure clad in white._

_Luke._

As if in a dream, Tear moved forward, until she and the person were standing a foot away and separated by a column of water from the waterfall in the background. She felt her mouth make words, and hesitatingly, she spoke.

"Why are… you here?"

The person responded, "This place… has a nice view of Hod. Also, I promised someone."

Tear felt a thousand different emotions bubbling up inside her: grief, happiness, joy, and wonder.

_He remembered! He remembered his promise!_

As conflicting emotions bubbled up inside her, the façade Tear had created as a soldier vanished, and she cried for the first time in three years. Droplets of salty water overflowed in her blue orbs and spilled down her cheek, landing on the pure white selenia petals. A breeze picked up as the others walked forward to greet their friend, lifting Jade's hair up ever so slightly, as the necromancer breathed a sigh of relief. That same breeze blew the newcomer's long, fiery red hair up, along with the long black cloak, revealing the Key of Lorelei, sheathed in its scabbard. A choked sob escaped from within Tear, and, step by step, the two closed the gap between them. Luke hesitated for a brief second, then lifted his arms and wrapped her in a hug.

"You idiot," Tear stated flatly, her voice muffled by Luke's clothes. "Where were you all these years?"

"Around the world and back again," Luke responded, smiling.

"Luuuuuuuuuuuuke!"

A raven streak pounced on the redhead from the side.

"Where were you? I missed you sooooooo much," Anise pouted.

He had barely any time to respond when he felt a friendly punch on the arm, followed by,

"Hey, Luke. Glad you could join us."

Luke smiled.

"I'm glad I could make it."

"Now that you've all greeted our guest, I'm sure we're all ready to go. After all, Noelle is waiting with the Albiore," Jade called, breaking the steady stream of conversation.

"All right," Natalia agreed.

"Let's go," Anise chirped, skipping happily ahead. When she had gone a few feet ahead, she turned back and called, "C'mon, you guys! We don't have all day, and I'm sure everyone wants to hear Luke's amazing story."

"All right," Jade chuckled. "For your sake, I suppose I could move my tired old bones just a tiny bit faster."

"Colonel," Anise objected, "You aren't **that** old yet!"

"Old enough for my bones to fall off its hinges. I think they might need some oiling soon," Jade joked.

As the group chatted animatedly, Luke pulled Tear aside.

"Wait."

Puzzled, Tear stopped and faced Luke.

"What is it?"

Luke hesitated, then opened his mouth and closed it again.

"It's a beautiful night," he finally managed to say.

"It is," Tear agreed, puzzled.

Luke sighed, then moved his mouth around, but no words came out.

Finally, he came up with, "Tear?"

"Yes?" she answered.

"Remember what you said back in Eldrant, right before I freed Lorelei?"

Tear turned a pale pink. "Yes…"

"Well, I… love you too."

Tear smiled.

"That's all I needed to hear."

They stood that way, in each other's embrace, until another voice pierced the night air.

"Hey, Luke! Are you coming? Noelle's waiting!"

"Coming!" Luke called back.

As Luke and Tear ran towards the group, the stars twinkled above them, and a voice resonated in the valley.

"Welcome home, light of the sacred flame."

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**That's all! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 1: Homeward Bound

**Author's Note:**

Hey there, it's Celestia2009! Sorry for the late update, I was _very_ busy with schoolwork, and I had some trouble trying to keep up with a class at school. Plus, I had a **lot **of projects to finish. Also, is anyone willing to beta read this story? I'm planning to go all out with my ideas this time, no regrets, so I'll need a beta reader, 'cause my grammar would make Shakespeare bawl. So, just a note, if anyone is willing to beta read this story, just contact me. Now, it's on with the story! Don't forget to review! 

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**Chapter 1: Homeward Bound**

"Won't Noelle get a surprise when she sees who we brought home," Jade chuckled.

As they neared the Albiore, they could see the anxious pilot pacing back and forth in front of it. When she saw them, she waved. As the group got nearer to her, they could see the expression on her face shift from impatience to confused and puzzled.

"Who is he?" Noelle questioned, puzzled. "He… looks familiar, but…"

Jade cut in smoothly, "Noelle, I want you to meet an old friend of ours. Luke, Noelle." He nodded towards the pilot. "Noelle, Luke."

"But- but- Eldrant- dead- how- when-?" Noelle sputtered, too baffled to talk.

"Lorelei brought him back. I'm sure Luke will explain all the details as soon as we get going."

"Wow," was all the pilot could say.

As the group climbed aboard the Albiore, Luke examined everything carefully, in detail.

_Everything is still how it used to be, _Luke mused.

He was so busy examining everything that he missed the cue to sit down and buckle up, and suddenly found himself on his rear end in the aisle, with everyone staring at him.

"Are you all right, Luke?" Natalia questioned.

He felt his face burn up with embarrassment. "Yes, I'm all right." He took a seat and buckled up, only to find himself in the tight embrace of a certain pigtailed puppeteer.

"Luke! I missed you soooooo much! Where have you been? I was waiting for you to come back so that I would have a patron to reform the order."

"Indeed. You nearly broke poor Anise here's heart. I'm sure everyone would like to hear your amazing tale."

"Should I?" Luke asked Tear.

"Whenever you're ready."

"Well- Okay. I'm recalling the facts as I go so don't rush me."

Luke took a deep breath and went back in his memories, all the way back to when he was floating down in the orb of green light.

**-3 years earlier-**

_As he floated down in the green orb or light, he looked above him. Chunks of ceiling were falling, but miraculously, not on him._

_Eldrant is falling, Luke realized. _

_At that moment, he noticed a figure, falling fast. As the figure came closer, it bounced slightly on the protection orb, and then went right through. Luke reached out and caught the figure. He found himself staring at the former God- General, his original, Asch the Bloody._

_So you went down too, huh? What a journey. Promises have been made and broken, people replaced and forgotten, a world saved, but at the price of a brave person. Thank you, Asch. It won't be long until I see you again._

_All around him, a fiery blazing light was winding around the little orb. It wound around and around, like a dragon ready to pounce, then gathered in front of Luke._

_Luke could only gaze as the voice of Lorelei resonated within the crumbling Eldrant._

"_The world has been saved, thanks to the light of the sacred flame. You have done admirably."_

_Just then, both Luke and Asch began to glow. If Luke had looked down, he would have seen Asch's hand twitch slightly. At that moment, Luke knew this was the end._

_So this is what it's like to die, huh? Luke thought sadly. I'm sorry, everyone. I let everyone down. Guy, Natalia, Jade, Anise, Mieu, Tear- I'm so so sorry. But- if this is the end, then so be it. I'm willing to die for a good cause._

_Luke's head came up defiantly, as if to mock death. As he tilted his head up, both he and Asch glowed brilliantly, then a single beam of light shot straight up out of Eldrant, reminding the world of the price paid to save the world from a madman and his vision of the world._

-**Present-**

"Wow," Anise breathed. "So what happened after you and Asch disappeared?"

"Well," Luke paused, thinking a bit.

-**After Eldrant fell-**

_He woke up to find himself in a field of flowers. He heard someone groaning and getting up next to him. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Asch._

"_You!" Asch growled. The former god- general sat up in a flash, despite his heavy armor. He crossed over to Luke, and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "You worthless piece of trash! I thought I told you to defeat Van!"_

"_But I did… Asch, Van's dead now. It's over."_

"_But we're __**dead**__! How did __**this **__happen?!"_

"_I-I don't know. But maybe Lorelei might be able to explain it to us," Luke suggested hopefully. Asch scoffed, then tossed Luke on the ground._

"_That's about as common as you talking sense!"_

"_But I __**am**__ talking se-"_

_A bright burst of light enveloped the dark night sky, followed by an old elderly man walking out of the ball of light._

"_Lorelei," both Luke and Asch said at the same time._

_The old man smiled with wisdom, then said, "Arise, lights of the sacred flame, and return to where your destiny lies, for two shall become one, and one shall become two, as powers combine and fate intertwines. Paths shall cross again, but be warned, for ahead lies an eternal abyss."_

_Luke saw a glimmer of light appear from the old man's hands before the world went black._

**-Present-**

"So you woke up in Tataroo Valley, heard Tear singing, and came looking for us, correct?" Jade asked.

"Yeah," Luke answered.

"Awwwwww, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard! Two people, deeply in love, but afraid to admit it, then the guy goes off and doesn't return. The girl stays to wait for him forever, and one day, he comes back to confess his love to her," Anise shouted with joy, dancing around Luke. Luke turned the color of his hair.

"What?! It's not like that, it's not!" Luke retorted, after seeing Guy look pointedly at him, then Tear.

Both of them turned the color of an overripe tomato.

"Well, you got everything right except the confessing love part," Jade observed, pushing up his glasses, which always seemed to be falling down.

"Here we are," Noelle called to them from the pilot's seat. "The city of Light, Baticul."

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**Ooooooh, a cliffhanger! Tune in next time to see what happens. Also, please don't forget to review! ******** Until then, this is the author, Celestia2009, signing out!**


	3. Chapter 2: We Will Meet Again

**Author's Note:**

**Hey! Celestia2009 here! Man, I really need to update faster, but I really can't. I have a lot of school projects either coming up or in progress, and since it's getting to the end of the school year, finals are in 3 months. Again, a lot of apologies about the delays, but I hope you loyal readers will stick with me till the finish! I'm planning for this story to be a 30 chapter installment, so bear with me here, and I'll update whenever I can. Thanks! Now, on to the story!**

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**Chapter 2: We Will Meet Again**

The lights in Baticul shone brightly upon the city and its occupants. Luke and his friends were inside the manor in Baticul, getting ready for a party in honor of Luke coming home. This ball was also the debut for Natalia, in order to find a suitor to rule beside her. All was going fine.

Except…

"Tear? Have you seen my viscount attire?" Luke called frantically, dashing down the hallway. He wore the same clothes that he had worn at Tataroo Valley, minus the sword.

"It's in the third room from the end of the hallway," Tear called back from the room she was changing in. She held a hand to her forehead and shook her head. "That idiot."

Meanwhile…

"Is this suit too tight or what?" Guy muttered to himself as he got dressed. "How **do **you tie this kerchief on?"

For the past half an hour, Gailardia Galan Gardios, known as Guy to his friends, had struggled to dress himself in the formal nobles' attire, including the wretched kerchief, which he just couldn't seem to tie right. Finally, he gave up and decided to ask Luke or Jade, although the colonel would probably use it to make a joke out of him, he mused. As he walked down the hallway, he could practically hear Jade warning him about first impressions.

_Better learn how to tie a kerchief, Gailardia, or you won't be able to impress Natalia. If you want to marry her, that is._

At that, his face flushed red. _Did I just think that? No I didn't,_ he denied instantly. A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts, and Natalia entered. She took one look at the situation and sighed.

"Oh, Guy. What am I going to do with you?"

She walked closer, intending to fix the mess…

"Whahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Guy leapt back a foot and glued his back to a wall, trembling. Natalia looked at him kind of funny, and instantly, he felt guilty about it. He exhaled and peeled himself off the wall.

"Natalia, I'm sorry. It's just- I'm not used to females being so close to me yet. I'm getting better, though."

_Is it just me, or does she look hurt?_

He brushed off that thought and tried to clear his mind. It was then that he saw Natalia leaving. His mind drew a blank, and his heart rate went up.

_Now. I have to tell her how I feel. Right now, right here. If I don't do it now, I'll never be able to face her again._

"Natalia!"

The princess turned around. "Yes."

His palms started sweating.

_I can't do this!_

"Uh, see you at the ceremony?" he stammered.

She just gave him a funny look, and said, "Please hurry. The ceremony starts in ten minutes," then walked off.

Guy could only watch as she got farther and farther away.

As she walked away, Natalia was deep in thought.

_I wonder what he wanted to tell me._

She shook her head.

_No use. If he wanted to tell me something important, he would have said it already. Although, I wish I could tell him what I want to say._

She shook her head. Why was it so hard to say what she wanted to say? It just wouldn't come out of her mouth when she wanted it to, and as a princess, she always had to know what she wanted to say beforehand. _But duty comes first_, she thought firmly, _and I've got a country to rule_. _There is no time to indulge in fantasies when my country needs me. _She stood in front of the ornate doors that lead to the ballroom, waiting for her name to be announced.

The doorman nodded at her.

"Ready, Princess?"

She took a deep breath and held her head high.

"Proceed."

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**Poor Guy and Natalia! I feel so bad for them. They have mixed up feelings and are trying to sort it out, only making the situation messier. If you were looking for LukexTear in this chapter, sorry. I really wanted this chapter to be a Luke and Tear thing, but it sorta ended up as a GuyxNatalia. But there'll be major LukexTear in the next chapter though, so stick around, and don't forget to review! **


	4. Chapter 3: Love Transcending Across Time

**Luke: Hey! What's the big idea here?!**

**Tear: Calm down, Luke. The author probably put us up here for a reason.**

**Celestia2009: Yup! I wanted to torture you! *grin***

**Luke and Tear: *…***

**Celestia2009: Hey! Don't look at me like that! Wait, wait! No, not the tire, not the tire!**

***tire flies across the screen, along with the author***

**Tear: Luke! What's wrong with you? You do know that we'll be stuck up here forever if the author dies, right?**

**Luke: errrrr…. Hey! It's not my problem! I was in the middle of chapter 10 when I got teleported here! Can't I even finish the chapter?**

**Tear: What do you mean?**

**Luke: Yeah. It was getting good, too! *pout* We were fighting Undine, and about to beat her. Oh and there's that part where you… *blush* Never mind. *Walks off***

**Tear: Wait! But what happened in chapter 10? *quietly* I wanna know, too.**

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**Chapter 3: Love That Transcends Across Time**

"So now, your name is no longer Luke, but Viscount Luke Fon Fabre!"

_And so, with my father's blessing, I inherited the title of viscount. I don't think I deserve this title, though. If only Asch was here... I could share it with him. I don't mind, and it would make Natalia so happy. Even though she appears to be cheerful and friendly, she's hurting badly on the inside. Only I can see the hurt behind her eyes._

"So, enjoying your first night as an adult, Luke?"

Luke looked up to see the ever sarcastic smile of none other than the colonel, Jade Curtiss. Holding, he noted, a goblet filled to the brim with ruby red wine.

"I guess I'm doing all right," Luke responded.

The colonel studied him carefully. "Oh? You certainly don't sound happy about it."

Luke sighed. "Jade, ever feel like you lost something and gained something at the same time?"

He watched as Jade paused and slowly brought the goblet to his mouth, taking a measured sip.

"When Nebllim was replicated," he answered slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I was glad that I was able to recreate her, for the sake of Nephry and, I suppose, Saphir. However, when she wasn't what I expected her to be, I felt like- well, a failure."

He paused to take another drink of wine.

"That was when I decided to stop trying to replicate people, to stop researching fomicry altogether. What I didn't expect was that someone would use my research to fulfill another vision of the world."

Luke nodded. "I see." He stared out into the darkening sky, where the city of Baticul was outlined in shadows, and the people were getting ready for the end of yet another long day.

After a while, Jade spoke. "Have you talked to Tear yet?"

"No, not exactly," Luke admitted. "She's been so busy lately that we haven't had time to talk yet."

"You should talk to her," Jade commented. He became serious. "Ever since the fall of Eldrant, she hasn't been the same. Admittedly, every one of us has been grieving, but it was Tear that hurt the most."

"And she didn't tell you about it?" Luke asked in astonishment.

"You have to understand. Being the dutiful soldier that she is, she immersed herself in her work, in order to forget. As soon as she got back, she threw herself into the restoration of Alkzeriuth. She cut off all connections with all of us, responding to neither letters nor calls. Natalia, Anise, Guy, and I all went to Yulia City to visit her, but every time we were there, she was either out or too busy to see us."

"I have to see her right now," Luke said, getting up from his seat. "Where is she?"

"She's in her room upstairs, the middle room in the hallway," Jade responded.

"Thanks!" Luke called as he dashed up the stairs.

After asking directions a few times, he arrived at the right room. He adjusted his sword nervously and knocked.

"Tear? Are you in there? It's me, Luke."

No answer.

He knocked again, panic rising in his stomach.

_Open the door, please. Just open the door! Open the door and I'll know you're okay. Please, Tear, please be alright!_

He stared fiercely at the door, willing it to open.

Finally, after staring at the door for a good twenty minutes, he decided to open the door, no matter what. Whipping out the key of Lorelei, he wedged it in the crack between the door and the frame and turned. No luck.

_Maybe if I tackle the door, it'll work. Never mind what Natalia says about being a gentleman, I'll deal with the lecture later._

He put the sword back into the scabbard and took a deep breath, then tackled the door, putting everything he had into it.

The door swung open to reveal a ransacked room and an open window.

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**Luke: What?! She got kidnapped?!**

**Celestia2009: Relax, she's all right. Tune in next time to find out what happened to Tear, and what the seven sentiences have to do with this. Please read and review!!**


	5. Chapter 4: Questions and Answers

**Author's Note:**

**Hey everyone, guess who's back? I'm still slightly busy, having SAT prep classes from nine to noon, but after that, I'm free. So I'm finally continuing the story! Wow, I feel like I've been dead a looooooong time, but resurrected again, and it feels kinda… weird. **

**Whatever. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

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**Chapter 4: Questions and Answers**

Luke ran down the marble staircase, down another flight of stairs, and into a dingy room where Jade was seated at the fonsearch equipment that was set up to find Tear. It had already been three days, and thorough searches had been done of Baticul, Grand Chokemah, Daath, Sheridan, and just about any other city that existed. Luke didn't get it. It was like Tear and her captors just disappeared off the world map.

"Found anything yet?" Luke asked anxiously.

Jade pushed his glasses up and shook his heads. "Nothing yet. But we're still looking."

The sound of footsteps could be heard, and Guy appeared.

"Hey, guys. Noelle's just about ready to go. "Are you coming?"

Luke nodded. "It's worth a try."

_Later…_

Flying high in the sky, Luke, Guy, Jade and Noelle scanned the countryside below them. Green trees, patches of brown and black soil, and blue streams could be seen, but no sign of the captors.

"Hey Noelle," Luke called to the pilot, "could you fly a bit lower?"

She adjusted the levers and hit a few buttons, and the plane dropped a little. "Sorry, Luke. That's as low as I can go," Noelle apologized. "any lower and the plane won't have any air turbulence to keep it up."

"That's okay," Luke murmured, as he scanned the fields below. There was a moment of silence as everyone strained his or her eyes to scan the city scene below. Then a sudden shout from Anise's side.

"Look at that!"

Everyone crowded over to her side to look. Sure enough, there was a group of ant-sized people moving rapidly, two of which were dragging a person along.

"Quick, Noelle!" Jade commanded. But the speedy pilot was already descending. The Albiore IV landed gracefully on top of the building the thugs had gone inside. The doors whooshed open and everyone except Noelle jumped out. Luke, who was the first one out, ran to the trapdoor that lead into the building and climbed down with the others following behind him.

_On the other side of the building…_

Tear sat perfectly still as the knights bound her to an odd contraption in the middle of the room. She was still puzzled; she couldn't understand why the oracle knights had lead her here, or the reason why they tied her up. She winced as one of the knights jerked too hard. That was it, she had to ask.

"Who are you and why are you tying me up?" she demanded. The guy she assumed was the leader answered roughly, "It's better if you don't ask, miss."

The men took off their armor and Tear recognized them instantly.

_They're the ones who are trying to restore Lorelei!_

She had heard about these men; they had worked for Mohs when he was still alive, and after Mohs had died, they started a project to bring Lorelei into the world.

_So what does all of this have to do with me?_

The guy who had spoken earlier commanded, "Secure the portal!" Something beeped and whirred, then the pole she was attached to glowed aqua. Sensing something ominous, Tear struggled against the ropes, trying to break free.

"Activate barrier!"

Instantly, Tear felt a shock go through her, like she had touched an electrical outlet. When the feeling passed, she struggled against the ropes again. But as soon as she threw herself against the ropes, she got shocked again.

"What do you want?" she yelled at the leader. His mouth twisted into a cruel smirk.

"Sing for me."

"What?" Tear was puzzled.

He commanded again.

"Disable target."

Tear; thrown against the pole by a series of shocks, yelped in pain. Images of her friends flashed in her mind, but what stood out was the image of a certain red-headed noble.

_Luke, _she called frantically in her mind,_ where are you?_

The leader cackled evilly. "The time has come! Sing for me, descendant of Yulia! Awaken Lorelei!"

At that instant, Tear realized what was happening. The grand fonic hymn would awaken Lorelei. She, an oracle knight and descendant of Yulia, had been outsmarted.

---------------

Luke halted to a stop, causing Anise, who was right behind him, to get a facefull of his back.

"Is something the matter, Luke?" Guy asked urgently.

Luke searched his mind again, but the voice was gone.

"No, it was nothing. I thought I heard Tear, that's all," he said lamely.

At that moment, two things happened simultaneously: the group heard the grand fonic hymn being sung, and at the exact moment, Luke felt like he was floating. The hallway resonated with a voice very familiar to Luke.

"I have been awakened!"

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Ooooh, another cliffhanger! Tune in next time to see what happens! Until then, see ya, and don't forget to review! **

**-Celestia2009**


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